Dr James Crawford Gregory FRSE (1801-1832) was a Scottish physician and part of the Gregory family of notable physicians and scientists. His middle name is sometimes spelled as Craufurd.

Life

The Gregory grave, Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh

Gregory was born at 2 St Andrew Square in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

the son of Isabella (née MacLeod) of Geanies and Professor James Gregory. His siblings included the twins, William Gregory and

Donald Gregory Donald Gregory (1803–1836) was a Scottish historian and antiquarian, who published a valuable history of the Western Scottish Highlands, Highlands and Isles of Scotland. Origins Gregory was a younger son of James Gregory (physician), Dr James ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

gaining an MD in 1824. He then spent three years in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

studying under the anatomist Rene Laennec. In 1827, on his return to Scotland, he took on the role as Physician at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

(then on Drummond Street) while also being physician to the Edinburgh Asylum on Bristo Place. In 1828 he became a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

. In the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer was Thomas Allan. He served as the Society’s Secretary from 1829 until death. He was also Secretary to the Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society. During the cholera epidemic he worked at the specifically created Cholera Hospital, housed in

Queensberry House Queensberry House is a building of 17th-century origin which is now a Category A listed building. It stands on the south side of the Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland, incorporated into the Scottish Parliament complex on its north-west corner ...

on the Canongate in eastern Edinburgh. He did not marry and lived in the family home for most of his life, the bulk of the family living at 10 Ainslie Place on the Moray Estate in west Edinburgh. He contracted "malignant typhus" working in the hospital. Despite attention from doctors John Abercrombie and Professor Alison he could not be saved. He died on 28 December 1832.London Medical and Surgical Journal, January 1833 Abercrombie and Alison also contracted

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

but Abercrombie survived the disease. He is buried in

Canongate Kirkyard The Canongate Kirkyard ( en, Churchyard) stands around Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The churchyard was used for burials from the late 1680s until the mid-20th century. The most celebrated burials at the kirkyard are ...

in the family plot beside Adam Smith's grave in the south-west corner.

Publications

*''First Lines on the Practice of Physic'', commenced by William Cullen MD completed by James Crawford Gregory (1829, Bell & Bradfute)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, James Crawford 1801 births 1832 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh Deaths from typhus Burials at the Canongate Kirkyard Infectious disease deaths in Scotland